


isn't it pretty to think so?

by daylighting



Category: Wanna One (Band)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - College/University, Guanlin focused but everyone turns up, M/M, add tags later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-07
Updated: 2019-02-07
Packaged: 2019-10-24 00:46:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17694359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daylighting/pseuds/daylighting
Summary: Kuanlin always said it was Daehwi’s fault he even met Jihoon in the first place.





	isn't it pretty to think so?

**Author's Note:**

> characters are aged up. kuanlin described himself as boring and it made me write this.

Prologue  
Two Years Ago  
Bali, Indonesia

“You never do anything fun or spontaneous,” Daehwi tuts as he goes through Kuanlin’s suitcase looking for an outfit, his nose crinkling with each item of clothing. Kuanlin imitates the expression which earns a sock thrown in his general direction. It doesn’t land anywhere near him of course; Kuanlin had always been the more athletic of the two.

“Coming along to Bali was pretty spontaneous,” Kuanlin defends weakly. He knows he’ll end up submitting to his older friend’s nagging, as he always does, but puts up a fight for the sake of it anyway.

“I didn’t bring you to Bali so you could lay in bed the whole time.”

Exasperated, Kuanlin collapses backwards, arms outstretched and does exactly that. They had done plenty and he was genuinely exhausted. Despite Kuanlin’s lack of obvious enthusiasm, he was glad he had agreed to an impromptu week away. He would probably not end up doing anything besides go to uni and work if not for Daehwi who had been ‘in serious need of a retreat’ after a break up. 

— Kuanlin felt like flying to a different country was a bit extreme but when he pointed this out to Daehwi, the eldest had despaired how this one really was ‘The One’. Kuanlin knew better than to remind him that he’d also said that about the two previous boyfriends as well. —

It was their last night, so he caves in easier than he usually would to Daehwi’s insistence that they go out to a bar by the beach.

“You need to pick a fake name for tonight,” he calls out from his room next door whilst searching for an outfit, unsatisfied by the meager offerings of Kuanlin’s suitcase. 

“I do?” It didn’t sound like something he needed at all.

“ _Yes_ ,” Daehwi stresses as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “To make things fun.” He doesn’t go on to elaborate how exactly a new name accomplishes that but Kuanlin decides this time to save time but not fighting it.

“Peter, then.”

“What are you? A forty year old Italian man?”

“Edward?”

“That will do.” Though it’s clear he thinks the second attempt is only marginally better, then announces dreamily, “I’m going to be David,” and Kuanlin wants to know how _David_ is any better than Peter or Edward.

Daehwi marches back in with the attire bundled in his arms, frowning deeply when he sees that the younger hasn’t bothered moving at all from where he is laying on the bed.

“Pick a job for me, and I’ll pick one for you.”

“We need whole new lives as well?” the taller questions as Daehwi dumps the clothes for him to wear. Kuanlin doesn’t need to look up to know that he’s wearing his ‘I don’t have time for this’ expression. 

“Tonight, we are no longer mere uni students. I am not a boy who ran away because his heart got broken _again_ and you are not boring, lame literature student who likes men in books more than men in real life.”

“Are we actually friends? I can’t tell.”

“You love me.” Kuanlin rolls his eyes when Daehwi says this but doesn’t deny it. 

“Okay, you’re a psychic,” The younger boy decides, then adding for good measure, “you drive ubers on the weekend.”

“I love it. I’ll have a think while you’re changing.” 

//

Daehwi claps his hands together when Kuanlin appears before him wearing shorts that are his and therefore far too small for the taller of the two and particularly garish orange and green Hawaiian shirt only the bravest of dads would don. The smaller of the two swans in and fiddles with the buttons on his shirt. Kuanlin verbally protests but angles himself downwards anyway to make things easier for his friend. 

“You missed a button at the top,” Kuanlin points out after surveying the handy work. The third button is now looped through the second hole and continues such all the way down. This leaves the shirt loose at the top and his collarbones exposed. 

“It’s fashion. Jaehwan wore his shirt like this, too. This is how _Edward_ wears his shirts.” 

The younger holds his tongue knowing he does not need to point out to Daehwi that Jaehwan is probably the last person any of them should be taking fashion cues from. 

//

“Is he yours?”

Kuanlin’s eyeline goes from the beach where Daehwi seems to be attempting to teach some people a choreographed dance routine, to a bartender who’s leaning on the countertop alongside the barstool he’s perched himself on. The accent is thick and sounds like home. There’s something comforting about it.

“He is…” he confirms slowly, transfixed for too long by the unique slant of the worker’s eyes until their gaze moves from Daehwi and catches him looking. Kuanlin is slow to turn away, letting the eye contact linger before turning back. 

“He’s my best friend,” Kuanlin explains simply, “he convinced me to come out with him but abandoned me the minute we got here.” And despite the situation, he smiles fondly as he looks over at the antics of his friend, noticeably in much higher spirits than when they’d first arrived in the country.

“Are you drinking anything tonight?” 

His first instinct is to say no, but Kuanlin reminds himself that he isn’t himself tonight. He’s Edward. Edward, who he is deciding as he goes along, is much bolder than he usually is. He finally fully shifts his attention to the person speaking to him and is caught a little off guard when he does so. Lit by the moonlight, lanterns and fairy lights, the other boy glows. His skin tells of days spent lounging on the beach and time spent outdoors.

“Gin and tonic, please.”

Minutes later, an electric blue drink is being presented before him. The shade in particular is quite startling and unnatural and definitely not what he asked for.

“What’s this?”

“It’s good.”

“I asked for a gin and tonic.”

“I know but you’re clearly on holiday and it’s on me, for being ditched by your friend.”

He watches as Kuanlin takes a sip and loathe as he is to admit it, he’s wondering how soon it is before he can order another one. 

“It’s good, huh?”

“Hmm, but I really insist on paying.”

“It’s fine.” He wipes his hand on a cloth and holds it out. “I’m Jihoon by the way.”

“Edward.” Kuanlin waits a beat, expecting any moment to get called out for the lie but receives a nod instead and swiftly tries to move the conversation along from his lie. “You’re not from here. How long have you been here?”

“Eight months. You?”

“One week. I was dragged along by my friend.” He pauses then adds with admiration, “you’re so lucky to be able to live here.”

“Well, we could find you a job here. Unless you’re independently wealthy? Then I’d have to propose to you on the spot.”

A wistful smile spreads on Kuanlin’s lips. “I’m not.”

“Oh well, it’s probably for the best we get to know each other a little first.”

Before they can, another customer flags Jihoon down and he’s moving along to serve, an apologetic grin on his face as he does so. He stays close enough, as he goes back and forth, to carry on a conversation. 

“What do you do, Edward?” 

At that moment, Daehwi’s words come to mind - ‘tonight, we’re completely different people with completely different lives.’ He recalls the career that he had been assigned for the night and wishes the ground would swallow him.

“…I’m a rapper.”

Jihoon’s expression creases with bemusement and delight at the unexpected answer. It takes a long moment for him to even digest the reply and when he does, he bursts out laughing. “For real? I don’t think I’ve ever met a rapper before.” 

Kuanlin gives the most half hearted smile as he is struck with horror at his own response and ready to kill his best friend. What if Jihoon asks him to rap? Then he’d really would have to change his name and move countries. He catches a lucky break however, when another customer needs him.

They do this all night. Kuanlin learns that Jihoon grew up an hour away from him, and Kuanlin tells him childhood stories about himself and Daehwi because he figures not everything has to be entirely made up. 

“Your shirt buttons…” 

“Don’t ask.”

When Daehwi eventually joins him at the bar, Kuanlin has decided he’s very fond of the electric blue drinks and consumed two more which only serves to make him chattier than usual.

“Sorry, I’ve been hogging your friend all night,” Jihoon says pleasantly, not really sounding sorry at all.

“Please, Eddie and I see enough of each other.”

Great. He had a nickname now too. 

“I finish in 20 minutes… will you still be around?” 

Kuanlin hesitates. As much as he doesn’t want this to end, it has to at some point. He can’t be Edward, the aspiring soundcloud rapper forever.

“He will be,” Daehwi answers definitively for him leaving Kuanlin unsure of whether he wants to murder him or thank him. Probably both. 

When Jihoon is again out of earshot, Kuanlin is immediately smacked on the shoulder by an overly excited Daehwi.

“Oh my god, he _likes_ you,” he says in a hushed whisper. 

“He does seem quite nice,” Kuanlin admits, refusing to return Daehwi’s conspiratorial tone, “but we leave tomorrow.”

“I’m not saying you have to fall in love in with him.”

“You’re definitely saying _something_ with the tone of your voice and the look on your face.”

“Fine,” Daehwi huffs, annoyed at his resistance to any potential romance. “You know Edward, you remind me of a very boring friend of mine called Kuanlin.”

//

“What happened to your friend?” 

“He decided to go to back to the apartment.”

“Oh, okay. Your shorts are… interesting.”

Now that they’re walking down the beach together, the height difference between them is obvious, just as Kuanlin’s too small shorts are now obvious to Jihoon.

“They’re Daehwi’s. He made me wear them.” Somehow this explanation suffices because Jihoon doesn’t press him with any more questions. “So you bartend?”

“I’m sorta on a gap year.”

Their hands brush together a couple of times and Kuanlin is grateful for the lighting growing dimmer as they head further away from people so the red blossoming in his cheeks is hopefully not so blatant. 

“Here,” Jihoon says suddenly, coming to a halt. Kuanlin follows suit when the boy sets himself down on the sand looking out at the sea.

“Do you wanna watch the sunrise together?”

Kuanlin holds his gaze. All he had to do was close the distance between them and kiss him. But he didn’t do things like kiss cute strangers on a whim. His eyes sink to their hands, splayed in the sand between their thighs. 

“Edward?”

The question hangs in the hair and he remembers that for now, he isn’t himself. He is Edward and Edward is different to the sensible and boring Kuanlin. Taking a deep breath, he looks up into Jihoon’s eyes. He feels himself falling and for some reason, it doesn’t terrify him at all. A wild exhilaration fills his heart. He leans in, and throwing caution to the wind, he kisses him.

// 

Jihoon falls asleep before they make it to sunrise. 

Between working all night and making out, Kuanlin isn’t surprised and lets him rest. He’s tired too but he doesn’t want any of this to end and watches the whole thing by himself while the smaller boy rests peacefully, curled into his side.

“Jihoon,” he says softly, rousing the boy by brushing his bangs from his eyes.

“Huh? Oh, the sun…” his voice is thick with sleep and he is clearly clouded with a sleepy stupor, trying to gather his bearings. “Why didn’t you wake me, Edward?”

“You needed sleep. I have to go now or I’ll miss my flight.” 

“Huh? Okay.” 

Kuanlin waits a moment, to make sure Jihoon seems settled enough and gets to his feet. He thinks about saying something, goodbye at least, but decides against it because then he’d never bring himself to leave and that would be entirely illogical and irrational. 

He can feel his heart thudding as he turns and slips away. He thinks he hears a soft, “wait,” but decides it’s in his head and doesn’t look back. If only he had been someone different.

If only he could have been anyone but himself.

**Author's Note:**

> helloooo, my first time posting here and my first chaptered fic in a very long time so i'm not sure what else to add here.
> 
> if you have any questions you can find me on twitter @sswaggyrapper
> 
> title comes from ernest hemmingway's 'the sun also rises'


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